Do you smoke? If so, why?

[Arkitech]

Not judging, just curious. With alcohol and drugs there is a high or a buzz, is the same true with cigarettes?

 

[Arkitech]

And when I say smoke I mean tobacco? Crack and weed are clearly in a different category.

 

[gevorg]

to look cool in front of chicks, to display importance, to display tough life, to revolt against parents, and of course to release stress...

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

So, crack and weed are in the same category?

 

[Arkitech]

So, crack and weed are in the same category?

Of course not, weed should have been legalized decades ago.


Hopefully in 2013 that will change.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Not judging, just curious. With alcohol and drugs there is a high or a buzz, is the same true with cigarettes?

There is at first. By the time the buzz wears off you're hooked.

I smoked a pack to two packs a day for many years before finally quitting about 10 years ago and to this day quitting once and for all remains the hardest thing I've ever done. If you've never smoked you can't possibly understand what a powerful hold cigarettes can have on a person.

 

[thescreensavers]

I like my Lungs and O2 supply so No smoking here.

 

[Arkitech]

There is at first. By the time the buzz wears off you're hooked.

I smoked a pack to two packs a day for many years before finally quitting about 10 years ago and to this day quitting once and for all remains the hardest thing I've ever done. If you've never smoked you can't possibly understand what a powerful hold cigarettes can have on a person.

I believe that it's hard habit to break, I'm just curious about what the appeal is to begin smoking. With alcohol or weed you kind of have an expectation of what will happen when you indulge, but with cigarettes I've never understood what the appeal was.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I only smoke when I'm snorting coke. It gives me something to do when my hands.

 

[LumbergTech]

There is at first. By the time the buzz wears off you're hooked.

I smoked a pack to two packs a day for many years before finally quitting about 10 years ago and to this day quitting once and for all remains the hardest thing I've ever done. If you've never smoked you can't possibly understand what a powerful hold cigarettes can have on a person.

It gives you a buzz comparable to smoking weed at first..its not hte same thing, but its that same type of feeling..then it wears off and you just smoke because youre addicted

 

[BoomerD]

Yes I do.

Why? That's a damned good question. I've tried to quit a couple of times...made it a year and a half once...and fell off the wagon.

I KNOW I have to quit pretty soon. As much as I bitch about the price here in California, (about $40/carton + tax) I also know that other states are MUCH higher...and I don't want to pay their prices.

I'm going out this week to check out the "e-cigarettes" as a crutch to help quit.

(substitute one type of nicotine for another.)

 

[lotus503]

Yes I do.

Why? That's a damned good question. I've tried to quit a couple of times...made it a year and a half once...and fell off the wagon.

I KNOW I have to quit pretty soon. As much as I bitch about the price here in California, (about $40/carton + tax) I also know that other states are MUCH higher...and I don't want to pay their prices.

I'm going out this week to check out the "e-cigarettes" as a crutch to help quit.

(substitute one type of nicotine for another.)

I smoked for 10 years, quit for 5, fell off the wagon for a month, then did ecigs for about 6 months before I quit them.

Ecigs have gotten so good I can't see why anyone smokes at all anymore.

 

[BoomerD]

I smoked for 10 years, quit for 5, fell off the wagon for a month, then did ecigs for about 6 months before I quit them.

Ecigs have gotten so good I can't see why anyone smokes at all anymore.

That's what I hear. I did some google-ing on them a week or two ago...some folks have done some severe mods on them...they remind me more of crack pipes than e-cigs.
I saw a couple of places that sell 48mg refills...that'd give you a hell of a buzz!

 

[GagHalfrunt]

The better Q is: If you smoke, how can you afford it?

When I quit I could get cartons of major brands for about $15 or so here in Connecticut. Now they're pushing $90. In New York City the big names are something like $12 a pack. A 2-pack a day habit is close to $9000 a year at that price.

 

[paulney]

I don't smoke cigarettes and never had - I find the smell disgusting.
I tried cigars, because I love the smell, but found they give me too much buzz and horrible mouth taste afterwards. I dropped it.

I now smoke a pipe every now and then when it's weekend, the weather is nice, I am in no rush, kids are in bed, and I'm chilling out on the patio.

Why? It gives me a chance to relax, without hurrying anywhere. I can read a book, surf the web, look at the stars for an hour - and do nothing. With my busy lifestyle it's a little sin and 'me time' I allow myself every once in a while.

 

[stargazr]

I smoked for about 11 years, quit cold turkey 14 years ago. One of the hardest things I've ever done as others have said. I guess there's a slight kind of sensation taking a drag, but not really comparable to alcohol or weed. It's more of a prop that becomes woven into your daily routine. Nothing like a cigarette with morning coffee, or after a meal. And when something stressful comes along, damn you just have to stop and light one up. It 'helps'. And that's a big part of the challenge of quitting in addition to the physical nicotine part IMO. The psychological part. I used nicotine gum but as far as the ritual aspect, you're on your own.

I quit for the obvious potential health reasons, and...um...I had other bad habits at the time and figured I better eliminate them one at a time or I would die eventually. And I slowly realized how much they make you smell like an ash tray. So I picked cigarettes first because as noted they really don't give you anything back in the way of a 'buzz'.

What amazes me is after all these years I still would love to spark one up every once in awhile. Not when being around a smoker but seeing someone in a movie. Like a scene in a war film after a guy gets through a fierce battle, crawls into a foxhole with his buddy and pulls out one last bent up cigarette. It just seems so appealing, or reminds me IDK. The feeling soon passes but damn, cravings after 14 years?

 

[MayorOfAmerica]

I do, about .5 packs per day for 14 years. Nicotine addiction sucks, and its also not lost on me how much money I waste. I did quit seriously twice cold turkey but life gave me the perfect excuses to restart my addiction once I thought I had beat it. I have a Chantix prescription from my doctor, and plan on filling it as soon as my wife is ready to deal with me for the first few months (second quit almost ended in divorce). I am not even sure why I started though, to answer part of your question, I continue though out of addictiin.

 

[ProchargeMe]

I only smoke a cig every once in a while, if you don't smoke regularly you get a pretty good buzz if you smoke one, but like i said, i smoke cigs in severe moderation because i know the addiction factor of nicotine is fierce. Stick to green stuff, no addiction, and a much better buzz.

 

[mmntech]

I've always wondered this myself. Not sure what posses people to pick them up and start. Women used to do it because they thought it kept them thin, but the side affect is it ages you terribly.

I find a lot of people who work in TV and radio smoke. I see them all the time huddled outside the studio. It's like I'm back in construction.

 

[rudeguy]

because I'm a dumbass


I have all kinds of justifications. I've quit a hundred times and started back up 100 times. Bottom line is that I always end up getting stressed out at work and break down. Every single flipping time.

 

[Mixolydian]

Prozac > smoking.

 

[swanysto]

I smoke. They do not really give you a buzz, at least not good ones. If I get a buzz it is more of a nauseous one. If you are drinking alcohol they will enhance your drunkenness a bit. The main reason for me is that they calm my nerves. There is really nothing like inhaling nicotine after a long stressful day at work. Of course I smoke a lot less than a typical smoker(2-4 a day), so I cannot answer for those that pound down a pack or so. If I have too many, my sinuses go ape shit.

 

[MontyAC]

Don't smoke. Besides smoking is too expensive might as well just burn the money and inhale that.

 

[Farang]

I've quit twice.. people laugh at that but I believe both times I started were separate events and years apart. Quitting is tough, but it's a bit like having the flu for me. After the first week you're mostly out of the woods in terms of physical withdrawal, if you can hack it 3 months it is mostly smooth sailing.

Then again, for me I never much used it as an outlet for stress, calm, etc. I just did it because I had cravings and everyone else around me did it and it was a social thing.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I've always wondered this myself. Not sure what posses people to pick them up and start. Women used to do it because they thought it kept them thin, but the side affect is it ages you terribly.

I find a lot of people who work in TV and radio smoke. I see them all the time huddled outside the studio. It's like I'm back in construction.

I don't really smoke, but with friends, we smoke a Cigar or a few cigarettes together every once in a while.

It's quite nice. Very relaxing, there is a degree of comfort of the repetitive action of smoking. Also, a good cigar tastes awesome.

I'm not really sure how you get addicted though. Smoked a decent bit, but never felt like I wanted to keep smoking.